In Sickness and In Health
by iworkwithpens
Summary: They were just getting to the point where they could move on. Will never thought about what else could go wrong in their lives. Maybe he should have. Will/Mackenzie of course.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I preface this with I have never written fanfiction before. Read it for years, loved it, been addicted to it, but never written it. Be gentle with me. Constructive criticism welcome, also feel free to inform me of any faux pas I commit either within a story itself or in terms of formatting, posting, rating, etc. I am a total computer illiterate. I thank God for giving me a computer programmer husband or I would be woefully disengaged from modern society. And of course I don't own The Newsroom, if I did it wouldn't consist of 10 episodes per season with a 9 month long hiatus.**

Did you ever get the feeling you were forgetting something? That niggling doubt in the back of your mind asking you if you had turned off the coffee pot or locked the door? Well, right now Will McAvoy had that feeling. And he'd had it for about a week, on and off. He seemed to get it whenever he looked at Mackenzie McHale.

Sure, there were a lot of things he _could_ be forgetting about where Mac was concerned. He'd forgotten to forgive her, forgotten to move on (with or without her, he wasn't sure yet), and most importantly he'd forgotten to stop loving her. But lately he had the feeling there was something more important even than that.

Maybe it was this damn cold. Everyone in the newsroom had gotten it somehow over the last two weeks. Given the hours they all worked, the close quarters, the vast amounts of caffeine and the horrible food it was amazing they weren't all sick all the time, but these last two weeks were awful. Just as one or two people got well, two or three more got sick.

He was just beginning to feel human again. But he still had a ways to go. So maybe the constant Nyquil and Robitussin usage had affected his brain. He was a pretty smart guy. He could usually figure shit out a lot quicker than this.

So here he was, facing her across the conference table for yet another NewsNight rundown wondering what he was supposed to be remembering about Mackenzie.

She looked like hell. Obviously she had finally gotten sick too. But hey, hadn't she been sick _before_ Will? In fact, he was sure he had finally caught the dreaded office plague from _her_. Made the mistake of sharing a coffee cup with her a week and a half ago when she hadn't yet looked like the walking dead. But he was feeling better…why wasn't she? The bags under her eyes could no longer be covered with make-up. He wasn't even sure she was trying anymore. A light sheen of sweat had broken out along her forehead. She had been coughing incessantly for over a week now. But it was lessening. A good sign? Not really. Now that he looked at her he could see her taking short, wheezy little breaths. She wasn't getting enough air in to let out the deep, wrenching coughs she had been a few days ago.

She was trying to finish her current train of thought. Standing next to her infamous NewsNight 2.0 white board, she was assigning tasks to everyone and looking like she was about to fall over. Will jumped in hoping he could cut this short and get her to go home or at least back to her office to lie down for a bit.

"Ok Mac, they're all big boys and girls now. I think they can divide and conquer your list of tasks on their own." Will interjected into her increasingly rambling diatribe. Was she even aware she was jumbling words and repeating herself?

She suddenly looked up at him from the other end of the conference room seemingly confused. "Will…what…did you…" She didn't even form a complete sentence before her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell to the floor.

"Mac" he shouted and ran across the small, crowded room. When he reached her Jim was holding her head and neck as she seized. "Call 911" Will shouted unnecessarily as someone had already picked up the conference room phone.

"Mac…Mackenzie…look at me. It's Will…you're going to be fine Mackenzie. Just hold on…help is on the way." Will repeated this over and over as he sat next to her head across from Jim and held her right hand in his.

The pieces were starting to fall into place for him. She had always been total crap at taking care of herself. When they had been together he could at least monitor her food and sleep. Force her to take a break by taking her out to dinner or telling her he wanted an early night in. Of course, this hadn't hurt his health either. Let's face it, they were better at taking care of themselves and of each other when they were together.

He couldn't do that anymore. It was no longer his place to tell her how to take care of herself. He should have known she would run herself into the ground. Republican primaries, Libya and Syria coming to a head. No way would a little cold slow her down. A little cold? No, not anymore. And that's when it hit him. What he'd been forgetting.

After she came back to ACN, he'd been stunned. How did he not know this was in the works? Even though part of him hated her after she'd left, a bigger part of him still loved her. He'd kept tabs on her. Knew she'd been in the Middle East. Lost about ten pounds worrying about her and smoking too much after he heard about Islamabad. Called in a lot of favors to monitor her condition after the stabbing. She'd make a slow but steady recovery. She would always have to be careful about injuries or infections after the emergency splenectomy.

"Her spleen…damn it Mac." Will grumbled under his breath.

Jim looked up at him for a second confused and then he too seemed to remember. "Oh shit." Jim whispered.

"Yeah…my sentiments exactly" was all Will could manage in reply. Damn…he really wished he'd just been forgetting his keys.

**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Still working the kinks out in my writing. For some reason I find it much easier to write what's going on in Will's head than anything else. Believe me, I'm not trying to make my stories into constant Will McAvoy internal dialogue, it just seems to happen accidentally. I promise I'm working on more Mackenzie point of view and the two of them interacting. As always, I don't own The Newsroom. **

After relaying her vital information to the paramedics, Will watched them load Mac into the ambulance. Jim would go with her. Lonny had none too gently reminded Will that he was still in danger. He would be traveling to the hospital under his bodyguard's watchful eye. Will had seen that look in Lonny's eyes before, there was no point in arguing with the man, so Will climbed into the back of the black Escalade and was soon joined by a subdued Charlie.

Will could barely remain seated once he arrived at St. Vincent's emergency room. He paced, he sighed, he gave Jim dirty looks as if he was somehow responsible for their current lack of information.

Finally, a doctor appeared looking for the family of Mackenzie McHale. Will, Jim and Charlie stood to meet him.

"You're family?" the doctor questioned.

"As close as you're going to get anytime soon" Will responded. "I called her parents in London. They're trying to get here, but no guarantees. "

"Well, good enough for now I suppose" the doctor replied. "Ms. McHale appears to be suffering from streptococcus pneumonia. We've had to intubate her for the time being. Her oxygen level was far too low. She seized because of her fever. We have her on a heavy course of antibiotics, which we're hoping will turn this around pretty quickly and keep her from going septic. This can be a common complication of untreated infections for those who have had splenectomies. She must have been warned about this after the surgery? She is always supposed to see a doctor at the first signs of fever or infection. This had to have been going on for more than a week by now."

"Well doc, her splenectomy was done in a war zone, then she was transferred to Germany and then to New York. Some instructions might have gotten lost in the shuffle" Jim responded.

"Yeah, that and she's the most stubborn workaholic alive" Will muttered under his breath.

"Like she's the only one" Jim said quietly. Will tried to ignore that, but gave Jim another dirty look just for good measure.

"Well, whatever the reason, she's going to have to learn to be more careful. The spleen is responsible for generating a good deal of the components of one's immune system. She doesn't have one anymore. That means she will always have a weakened immune system. Fifteen hour workdays, lack of a balanced diet and ignoring infections in their early stages will not bode well for Ms. McHale. I suggest she come to grips with that fact before this happens again. And it _will_ happen again if she keeps this up. Make sure she understands that." Finished with his lecture the doctor finally gave them more information on Mac.

"She'll probably be intubated for the next 24 hours or so while we drain fluid from her lungs and let the antibiotics do their job. From there on she'll be on oxygen and nebulizer treatments to help clear her breathing passages. She'll probably be here three to four days assuming everything improves steadily. She'll be sent home with antibiotics and a nebulizer and inhaler. No work for at least a week. I'd prefer she be exposed to as few people as possible during that time. The last thing she'll need is to pick up another infection so soon. Any questions?"

Will, Jim and Charlie just stood staring at the doctor.

"Well then, she's in room 512. One visitor at a time for now." And with that the doctor left the three of them standing in the waiting room.

"I'll go call the office and fill everyone in. I'm sure they're all ready to storm in here if someone doesn't call soon" Jim informed Will and Charlie and headed outside to use his cell phone.

"I'll let you head in to see her first. Do you want me to call her parents again?" Charlie asked Will.

"No, I'll do it. I told John and Catherine I'd call as soon as I knew something, but just give me a minute with her. By the time they find a flight Mac will probably be awake and threatening them with bodily harm if they cross the pond just to watch her cough and blow her nose for a week" Will responded, comforting himself with a mental picture of Mackenzie healthy and back to her old self, daring anyone to try and take care of her. Will headed down the hall toward Mackenzie's room.

It always amazed him how still she could be when asleep. Of course right now the pneumonia and the drugs probably had a lot to do with it, but even during an average night Mac's frenetic energy suddenly disappeared once asleep. She would curl into a ball pressed against his side and he swore she never moved once during the night. Did she still sleep like that, he wondered? Or would her habits have changed in the last few years? He stopped himself from going down that path. He didn't want to think about her curled into someone else's side.

When they first started sleeping together he had thought she was afraid to wake him. After all, they spent most nights at his place. It was bigger and closer to the office. Maybe she felt like an intruder and feared disturbing his sleep in his own home. But as time wore on he realized she really did sleep like that. It was as if Mackenzie literally expended every last ounce of her energy during the day and once she found sleep her body finally stilled, reveling in the few hours it had to do nothing. Because during her waking hours Mac _never_ did nothing.

Oh great, now he couldn't form a sentence without waxing poetic on Mackenzie and using a double negative. What the hell had she done to him? Brought some life back into him and kicked his ass into gear, his brain responded…though his inner monologue seemed to have a clipped British accent these days.

"Damn it Mac, what the hell were you thinking?" Will asked her silent form. She was thinking get the story Will. She's always thinking get the story, his brain told him.

"Well you're not getting the story for a couple weeks ok? You're resting and you're getting better, and from here on out you're taking better care of yourself and if I have to move in with you to see that happen well…we'll just have to talk about that when you wake up. We have to talk about a lot of things when you wake up Mac. Like how badly we both are doing at being apart from each other. We may have a lot of issues to work through to be together, but obviously we need to do that before one of us neglects ourselves to death." He finished his speech and stared at her unmoving form. He was not used to not getting an argument from Mackenzie. Hell, he wasn't even really used to being able to finish a sentence without being interrupted by Mackenzie. She seemed so much smaller when she was asleep. All her yelling and passionate speech-making sometimes made him forget that she was a good six inches shorter than him and probably a few pounds underweight.

"Ok, you can wake up anytime now Mac. I promise I won't hit _you_ with a magazine" he teased. Though part of him wanted to hit her with something and knock some sense into her. Of course, if he did knock some sense into her maybe she would finally give up on them. Give up on beating her head against the brick wall that was Will McAvoy and go try to find someone a little less prickly and a lot easier to be with. Ok, so no hitting some sense into her.

"You're not doing this again Mackenzie McHale. You are not leaving me. So get that through your thick skull." And with that, Will settled in to watch her sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: This chapter went on a little longer than I expected…just couldn't figure out where to end it. Never fear, I think we still have a couple of chapters to go here…not quite sure yet. As for any medical errors…hey, I have watched a lot of ER and The Learning Channel but by no means do I claim to be a medical professional. Take all my medical stuff with a grain of salt…I did my best. Thanks for the continuing reviews guys…they make my heart sing (and make me write more too). Still don't own The Newsroom. 'Nuff said.**

Early the next morning Will woke to the sound of coughing. Mackenzie was being extubated, a rather unpleasant experience from the sound of it.

"Just relax Ms. McHale. You'll feel better in a minute" a nurse reassured Mac as she struggled against the medical personnel.

"Mac, you're fine. You're in the hospital. I'm here, just let the nurse help you" Will said as he stood from the chair he had fallen asleep in and put himself in her line of sight. She seemed to understand that he was there and she calmed. Once the tube was removed Mackenzie immediately fell asleep again.

Will turned his attention to one of the nurses in the room. "She hasn't even been here a full day yet. I thought she would be on the ventilator longer than this?" he asked.

"Ventilators bring their own risks Mr. McAvoy. As soon as a patient shows signs of fighting the vent they are ready to be off it. Don't worry, we're keeping a close eye on her oxygen levels. She's still going to be on supplemental oxygen. Plus, no ventilator means we can start her nebulizer treatments. That will significantly improve her breathing. This is a good thing, try to relax."

Relax. Yeah right, Will thought to himself. The only woman he had ever loved had cheated on him, left the country to cover a war, been stabbed, returned to the U.S. and promptly turned his world upside down. And then, just when he thought they were getting somewhere, just when he thought Brian and the email and the greater fool were all behind them, Mackenzie decides to work herself into the ground and ends up in the hospital. So, Nurse Ratchett, while he would very much like to relax, that just didn't seem possible at the moment. Maybe when Mackenzie got out of here they could both try to relax a little. Maybe a nice little vacation somewhere.

What the hell, McAvoy? You've barely spent a moment alone with her since your own release from the hospital and now you're planning her next vacation for her? Yeah, that's gonna go over real well with Mac. Maybe you could talk to her first? See what she wants? Talk to her? Yeah, he had been meaning to do that for awhile now. Well actually, he had been avoiding that for awhile now, but he didn't mean to did he? They just had a lot of work to do. Bringing down the Tea Party, ferreting out the lies in campaign speeches, giving the American people the truth every night. He couldn't help the fact that he had a high pressure, high profile job that left him little time to work on a personal life.

That's a wonderful was to rationalize being a fifty-four year old bachelor who works with the woman he loves everyday but does nothing to repair their broken relationship. Ok, now the little voice in his head sounded suspiciously like a certain psychiatrist he knew.

"All right McAvoy…time to get off your high horse and figure out where you both went wrong in this relationship" Will told himself aloud.

"But Don Quixote rode a donkey" a hoarse little voice scolded him.

Wait…What? Who just said that? Will whipped his head around to look at the occupant of the hospital bed he had been sitting next to for hours.

"Mackenzie…you're awake!" he shouted at her.

"Apparently, but I'm not deaf so please stop shouting. I am however very thirsty...could we do something about that?" she asked him, as best as her parched, scratchy voice would allow her.

"Yeah, water. I can do that" he said as he reached for the plastic pitcher and cup next to her bed.

"Go slow, you've been unconscious for the better part of twenty four hours. We don't need you choking to death now" he admonished as she tried to grab the cup from his hands.

"What happened?" she asked him.

"You ignored a very bad cold, which turned into pneumonia, which turned into you having a febrile seizure in the conference room at work. Any of this sound familiar Mac?"

"Not really. The last thing I remember is talking to you in the control room about the awful tie you were wearing."

"That was three days ago Mackenzie. Jesus Christ, are you trying to kill yourself? Or do you just not give a damn? You scared the hell out of me you know!" Will shouted at her. She cringed and seemed to pull herself into the pillows behind her. He began to regret how harsh his tone must have sounded.

"I'm sorry I scared you. Now maybe you know how it felt for me to find you lying in a pool of your own blood in your bathroom. For two people who are supposed to be rather intelligent we sure have gotten ourselves in some dumb situations lately Billy."

"Yeah, you're right, we have. Maybe we're not as smart as we think we are. Or maybe we're just too smart for our own good, Mackenzie. Overthinking everything all the god damn time. Maybe it's time to stop analyzing everything so much and start living our lives again." He said this last part quietly and took ahold of her hand.

"What are you trying to say Will?"

"I'm trying to say that I'm going to listen to Charlie for once and remember that I'm older than I think I am."

"What? That didn't even make any sense Billy. Should we adjust my oxygen levels some more?" Mackenzie asked him as she made a show of adjusting her nasal canula and checking the oxygen tank it was attached to.

"I don't know if it made any sense, but I know what Charlie meant when he said it. He sees how good we are together Mackenzie. He knows two people don't work that well together and mentally challenge each other the way we do without there being a little spark of something else. No matter how much I pretended I didn't care, Charlie knew that I did. He was just reminding me that, despite my belief to the contrary, you may not be there forever and we may not have all the time in the world to figure this out and get our shit together" Will looked up at her hopefully.

"Wow, get our shit together…did you get that from a Hallmark card?" she teased him.

"Ok, so it's not Shakespeare, but you know what I'm saying Mackenzie McHale."

"Is that what the message said? I love you, now let's get our shit together? And they say romance is dead."  
Ok, now he was getting mad. He was pouring his heart out here…did she have to make it so fucking difficult?

"Damn it Mac, no that's not what the message said. And does it even matter anymore what the message said. I'm here, right now, telling you I love you and we need to move on. Good lord, I know this isn't exactly the most romantic setting to be doing this in, but I would very much like for us to try and work out all our issues and move past them. We were good together before…but I think, maybe now we can be great together. Just tell me you want this…want us" he said this last part so quietly and in a voice so pleading and heartfelt Mackenzie wanted to pull him to her and never let him go. Unfortunately, right now she had a few too many tubes and IV's attached to her to make that very easy.

"I do want that…more than anything in the world Will, but are you sure this is your heart talking and not just a man who got the shit scared out of him when his ex-girlfriend collapsed in front of him?" Mackenzie asked.

"No Mac, that's not it at all. Ok, yes you did scare the crap out of me yesterday, but that's not what's causing this. I've been working through all this for awhile. Hell, I even talked to Habib about it. I won't bore you with all the little details. Suffice it to say, life is short Mac. Why are we making it so hard, too?"

"I don't know Will. I don't know why we are making this harder than it has to be. I don't know why I cheated on the perfect man with a total asshole. I don't know why you took an overdose of anti-depressants and Naproxen. I don't know why a thirty-eight year old woman can't take care of herself and get to the doctor's office before she ends up in the hospital. I don't know a lot of things Will, but I know I love you and if you are ready to try this again I am too."

"I really would love to kiss you right now, but I already missed last night's broadcast and Charlie tells me Reese is on the warpath. If you give me pneumonia and I miss a week of work we may not have jobs to come back to after you get out of here." Will had now pulled his horribly uncomfortable hospital chair right up next to her and was running his hands through the tangled mess of her hair.

"Ok, I'll take a raincheck on the kiss for now. Besides, I'm not really sure I remember the last time I brushed my teeth. How long have I been here? And where is _here_ by the way?" Mackenzie asked him.

"Here is St. Vincent's and you have been here since about noon yesterday. Speaking of which, I need to call your parents again. I managed to stop them from getting on a plane by reminding them that would mean I would be unable to speak to them for eight to ten hours, so they would get no updates on your condition."

"Oh God bless you Will. The last thing I need is my mother and father hovering over me in a hospital room, or god forbid my apartment. Why did you even call them in the first place?"

"You were unconscious and seizing in the back of an ambulance Mackenzie…I thought maybe your family should know!"

"You're my family. Charlie and Jim and Don and that newsroom…they're my family. I'm a grown woman. I don't want my mother crossing the Atlantic to come bring me chicken soup!"

"Ok Kenz, calm down. As a member of your family, can I tell you you're doing a shit job of taking care of yourself so maybe you would let me try to help a little."

"Just exactly how much help am I going to need Billy? When do I get out of here?" Mackenzie was becoming more and more aware of the fact that she was in an ugly little hospital room, wearing a very unflattering pastel print gown and she wanted to go home.

"You're still going to be here a couple of days Mac. The doctor said you need to be on IV antibiotics and to have breathing treatments to help clear up your lungs. After that, you're still out of work for another week" he said this last part quietly, knowing it wasn't going to be well-received.

"A week! I can't be out of the office for a week! What the hell is going to happen to the show? Who's going to keep you in line?!" The monitors next to her bed began to beep and a nurse soon entered.

"Hey…I could hear the yelling down the hall you two. And you, Ms. McHale have only been off a ventilator for a few hours. I was trying to be nice by giving you that nasal canula for oxygen…would you prefer a mask? Makes it a lot more difficult to carry on a conversation, but considering your oxygen levels are dropping again it may be necessary. She needs her rest…if you are disturbing that you're out Mr. McAvoy. I don't care how famous you are." And with that the nurse turned on her heels and left the room, leaving its two occupants feeling like scolded children.

"She's right Mackenzie. I'm sorry…you should be resting" Will said as he stood to tuck her blankets more firmly around her.

Now that she had a minute to stop questioning Will, Mackenzie was realizing just how sick she was. She was wheezing slightly from all the arguing she and Will had just done and she was exhausted. Before she realized what was happening her eyes were closing against her will.

"Don't leave" she managed to whisper to Will before she succumbed to sleep.

"I'm not going anywhere Kenz. Go to sleep. We'll talk more later, I promise. I love you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: Kind of a short chapter here, but I just sort of wanted to finish it and get it out there. And yes, I promise Will and Mac will discuss everything that was said when she first woke up. We're getting there. On with the show.**

The one thing nobody tells you about hospitals is that unless you are bleeding from the head or in need of major surgery, they are really awful places to rest and recover in.

Mackenzie had been in St. Vincent's for two days now, and except for the fact that she was no longer attached to a ventilator, Will was convinced she actually looked worse than she had upon her admittance. The dark circles under her eyes were growing worse and he was sure she had in fact lost more weight since she'd been here. Looking at the dinner tray a hospital aide had just placed in front of her, he was sure he knew why.

"Good lord…are they trying to kill you? I'm not even sure what that is" Will lamented from the chair next to her bed.

"You're not the one who has to eat it. Can I go home yet? How am I meant to recover in this petrie dish of a building while they keep feeding me this crap and waking me every two hours during the night to check my vitals?" She was whining now, much like she had been since she woke up here.

The woman had a point though. Will was certain he had caught something while he spent his days here with her. He had been calling into the office during the day to try and give some input on the show. He would stay with Mackenzie until 7pm and then Lonny would drive him to the studio. He'd run in, do the show and be back at her bedside by 10:30. The schedule was running him ragged, and he didn't really know how much longer he could keep it up, particularly in this god-awful place.

Which was why they were both thrilled to see a doctor appear with discharge papers the next morning.

"You'll need to continue your nebulizer treatments and finish another seven days of antibiotics. I would prefer you limit the number of people you come in contact with for the next few days. Your immune system is trying it's best to fight off the infection you have…we don't need you exposed to anything else in the meantime. Am I clear Ms. McHale? Do a better job of taking care of yourself from now on, ok?"

Will could see that Mackenzie was already trying to form an argument, but he cut her off before she could really get going.

"She will, doc…I promise" Will assured the man.

"Since when are you my spokesperson…and why are you packing my things? I can do that!" Mackenzie shouted from the bed. It really was difficult to take her too seriously when every sentence still ended with a cough.

"Mac, you still get tired just walking to the bathroom. Could you just let me do this so we can get out of here?"

"Fine, but what's this _we_? You don't have to be here if you don't want to, you know. Just let me call a cab and I'll be fine on my own" she said, and slumped back into her pillows. Now she was just sulking like a petulant child. Albeit a very cute petulant child, Will thought to himself.

"Mackenzie, did you not just hear what the man said. Avoid germs…and you want to get into a New York City cab? Are you crazy? There are waste management facilities that are cleaner than the back seat of a cab in this town!"

She really had lost her mind. He was convinced of it. She had spent the last two days trying to have a deep and meaningful conversation with him about the things they had said to each other when she first woke up. It would have been comical really, if he hadn't still been worried about how sick she was. Every time she would try to start a conversation she would either be wracked by a coughing fit or fall asleep before she could get to the point. And now, when she was finally getting out of here, when they finally had a shot at being alone for awhile, she was ready to take a germ-infested cab across town and away from him?

"Look Mac, you already turned your parents away. And don't try to deny that, I heard the phone call. You told them you were fine and would be back at work in a couple of days, so no need to come visit, you'd be too busy anyway. That was a crock of shit and you and I both know it. You were practically holding your breath the entire call to try and keep from coughing. You don't like being sick and you don't like being taken care of…I get it. But could you just try and put up with me coddling you for a bit? You scared the hell out of me just a few days ago. I would really like a chance to try and get that image of you in the back of an ambulance out of my head." He said this last part quietly, as if just talking about how sick she had been could make it happen again, and he didn't want to take that risk.

"I'm sorry. You've been wonderful to me these last few days and I'm being an awful, cranky patient. You know I've never been good at being sick or being away from work for this long. It's making me a bit insane. Just let me get a few nights sleep in my own bed and I promise I'll be my usual happy-go-lucky self again in no time!" Mackenzie's apology was sincere enough…but the idea that she'd be her usual self very quickly was in doubt. She finished her speech with a wracking cough and was leaning against her hospital bed holding her ribs as if in pain.

"Mac…sit down before you fall down, please. We're trying to get you out of here…the doctors might change their minds if they see you gasping for breath and holding onto a nightstand for support" Will warned her.

Finally an orderly appeared with Mackenzie's paperwork, prescriptions and a wheelchair. Lonny wasn't far behind him.

"Why do I need a wheelchair?" Mackenzie whined.

"Because I'm not carrying you and you'll never make it down to the car. Now just sit in the damned wheelchair Mackenzie so we can get the hell out of this place!" Will shouted. Lonny just snorted his amusement with the scene in front of him.

"I'd carry you if you wanted me to Ms. McHale. You and me, alone in the car…we can get rid of Will if you want?" Lonny teased her. That did get a little chuckle of amusement from Mackenzie, but not from Will.

"Hey, fifth round draft pick…go pull the damn car around would you!" Will was quickly losing his patience with this whole situation. He just wanted to get home, get some decent food into Mackenzie and sleep for about two days…not necessarily in that order. He would also like the opportunity to continue his earlier conversation with Mac…once she could stay awake for more than an hour at a time and stop gasping for breath.

Mackenzie was nearly asleep in the back of the Escalade when she realized they were headed in the wrong direction.

"Will, we should be heading West not East. I don't' live in Soho anymore."

"Yeah, I know where you live. I also know you have no energy, no strength, no food in your apartment and you're supposed to be avoiding the general public. Just how are you going to take care of yourself with no help at home?" Will looked down at her blanketed form curled up next to him in the backseat of the car.

"I'm a big girl. Besides, where the hell else would I go besides home?" she asked.

"_My_ home" he replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Look Mac, you've already banished the well-meaning relatives who were going to try to come and care for you. Be realistic here, you don't have a lot of options. My apartment is well-stocked with food, thanks to the housekeeper and my building has a twenty-four hour concierge. You can get just about anything you want delivered. When I have to go to the studio, at least I'll know it will be easy for you to get anything you need. Please Mackenzie, let someone take care of you for a little while."

She was relenting, he could tell. Or maybe she was just too tired to argue anymore. She leaned more heavily into his shoulder and nodded her agreement.

"Hey look at it this way, when I call into the office to check on the kids you can chime in and take over the rundown again. You'll feel like you're back at work already!" Will said with a little too much enthusiasm for her cough-syrup addled brain.

"And maybe we can talk about us? And maybe we could do something about that kiss I was promised…you know, once my mouth has become familiar with a toothbrush and some mouthwash again?" she whispered to him.

"Yes Mackenzie, we can talk about a lot of things…once we get you home, ok?" Will said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Totally whipped" he heard Lonny whisper from the front seat. Will caught the man's eye in the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah, I am. Can you blame me?" Will said.

"Not one bit, man. Not one bit."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: Sorry it's been a while since I updated this story. Real life and other story ideas got in the way. Hopefully, I'll get some work done on both my WIP stories in the next several days. Thanks to those who have reviewed and thanks to my beta. Once again, don't own The Newsroom.**

One thing Will had always admired about Mackenzie was her amazing ability to fall asleep almost anywhere. Ok, there were a lot of things he admired about Mac, but years ago, before they had even begun seeing each other, he had discovered this talent while they were covering the 2004 Presidential campaign.

They had spent most of the election in the studio, but during the final days of campaigning they had spent a good deal of time on location. And despite what the general public would think, it was not a glamorous job. They had seen the inside of more airplanes and Hampton Inns than they would like to admit and it was wearing them down. Just minutes after broadcasting from a town hall in New Hampshire, Will was gathering his things and waiting for the crew to pack up so they could all head back to the hotel. That's when their sound guy had come up to him wondering what they should do about 'Ms. McHale.' His eyes followed the camera man's gaze over to where Mackenzie was. She had obviously fallen asleep the minute the broadcast was over. She still had her headset on, notepad in hand and was seated in front of a control panel with her head resting in her hand. Sound asleep.

So it really shouldn't have come as a surprise to Will when, once back at his apartment, he was met with sudden silence. They had watched Lonny leave only moments ago and Will had helped Mackenzie over to the couch while he took her bag and medications into the guest bedroom. He headed back to the kitchen, intending to make her something to eat but when he turned to ask her what she wanted he found her sitting straight up on the sofa, eyes closed and snoring softly. He supposed getting her fed would have to wait for a bit. He turned her gently and pulled her feet up onto the lounge and covered her with a blanket. He couldn't let her sleep long anyway…she was due for more meds and a nebulizer treatment in about two hours. No point in moving her somewhere more comfortable just then. He'd let her sleep while he checked his email from his study.

Will was only half-focused on his computer screen though. Part of him was still back at that hospital, watching Mackenzie struggle for every breath she took. Nothing like a little brush with death to remind you how short life really is. He had been secretly relieved that she gave in to him so quickly on the issue of recuperating at his home. He really didn't think he was ready to have her across town from him so soon after all this. He needed to be able to see her to reassure himself that she truly was going to be ok.

Will was starting to get a little anxious just being this far away from her. He'd managed to spend about a half an hour mindlessly sorting through bills and emails before he found himself desperate to check on her. He headed toward the living room quietly, listening for any sign she was waking. Soon though, he could hear her panicked gasps. He ran towards his couch only to find her laboring for breath.

"Mackenzie…you're fine…you just need to sit up" he assured her as he pulled her into a sitting position and propped her against some pillows.

"What…happened?" she asked between coughs.

"You just fell asleep lying flat, that's all. The doctor warned us your lungs are still congested. It's going to be hard to sleep without lying on an incline right now. You're fine, ok?" Maybe he was telling himself that as much as he was telling her. He sat down next to her and watched her begin to take slow, deep breaths. She could see him watch the rise and fall of her chest as if his life depended on it as well. He waited until some color returned to her cheeks before he let himself lean back into the sofa and relax a bit.

"Sorry I scared you…just panicked for a second" she whispered.

"It's ok…I shouldn't have left you lying on the couch like that. You've just gotten so little sleep in the hospital that I didn't want to move you. Now, how about some food?"

"I'm really not that hungry, Will."

"Yeah, well you've barely eaten anything in two days Mackenzie, so humor me. Let's just try some eggs and toast and see how that goes down."

He headed toward the kitchen but was not surprised when he heard her socked feet padding after him. She never could sit still for long.

She rummaged around his kitchen cabinets until she found what she was looking for.

"Ah ha…so it is still here" she said holding up the copper bottom kettle as if it were a prize.

"Why would I throw away a perfectly good kettle Mac…I just don't have a great need for it on a daily basis so the housekeeper must have put it in the pantry."

"I thought perhaps you had tossed it…along with a few other things" she finished quietly.

"Just because the duvet and sheets are different doesn't mean I erased you from my life Mackenzie. We weren't lovestruck teenagers for God's sake. I didn't ask you for my class ring back" he said sarcastically.

"You had a class ring, Billy? Who did you give it to?" She was trying to turn this maudlin discussion around. She hadn't really thought a search for a tea pot would lead to a review of who took what when they split.

"Nice try Mackenzie, but you brought it up. I was just trying to tell you that…you know what…I don't know what I was trying to do. But damn it Mackenzie…we can't pretend we don't have a history. We've known each other for nearly ten years. We were together for two. We were practically married, so yes I still have your tea kettle. I also still have some of your clothes and shoes and I think you left a photo album and some books here. Did you want to look for them while you're at it?"

"No. The tea's fine for right now. I'm sorry I brought it up" she said quietly. She rinsed out the kettle and then filled it with water and set it on a lit burner.

"Do you still have any tea bags around here?" she asked cautiously.

"I think your parents sent me some last Christmas…check the cupboard over the stove."

Sure enough, she found a large wooden box filled to the brim with every variety of tea Twining's made.

"My parents sent you a Christmas present?"

"Yeah, they do every year. Usually liquor or some sort of gift basket. I'm sure I'm on some list that I never got scratched off, that's all Mackenzie."

"I highly doubt that Will. I'm sure the embassy has a list of people they automatically send cards to in my father's name…but I don't think my father's office sends bottles of GlenLivit or mahogany tea boxes to every person he's ever met. He misses you."

Will was staring a hole into the skillet he was scrambling eggs in. How did this happen? One minute they're talking breakfast and the next she's telling him how much his almost father-in-law misses his company?

"He misses telling me my political party has mucked up the entire system. And before you bother to deny that, please sit down and eat something Mac" he ordered.

"But, my tea…" she whined.

"I'll get your tea, now sit and eat please Mackenzie." God, he'd forgotten how obstinate she became when she was sick. She'd barely eaten more than a bite or two of muffin or toast in two days and she was arguing with him about a cup of tea?! Thankfully, once seated she actually ate most of the food he had set before her.

"Feel better?" he asked her.

"Much. I didn't realize how hungry I was. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now come on…medications and into bed young lady" he ordered.

"Nope. Toothbrush and mouthwash, discussion of what you said to me in the hospital and kiss. Please?"

Damn, he hated when she looked at him like that. All doe eyed and fluttering lashes. She knew he always folded like a house of cards when she did that. This was why it was dangerous to work with the ex love of your life. She knew you like the back of her hand.

"We'll see Mackenzie. To bed with you first please…before you fall over."

He pushed her down the hallway toward the guest bedroom. He wasn't surprised when she popped her head into the linen closet first in search of an extra toothbrush.

"I'm not sure there are any toothbrushes in there Mac. You might have to wait until I can get to the store."

"Unless you have had twenty guests over here in need of toothbrushes, then there is one in here somewhere" she hoarsely replied over her shoulder.

"What?! I have twenty spare toothbrushes in my linen closet that I don't know about?"

"Yes you do. Ah ha! Here they are!" she exclaimed holding up a toiletry case he did not remember buying. It appeared to be filled with toothbrushes in every color and about five different types of toothpaste.

"Where in the hell did that come from?" he asked her.

"Some segment we did on the dangers of cosmetic tooth whitening years ago. I think it was one of those god-awful human interest pieces Leona always insists we throw in. The dentist who served as our expert kept passing out business cards and toothbrushes to every person he saw. Somehow that bag got shoved into my briefcase and I threw it in the linen closet when I got home." Mackenzie sputtered to a stop. Home. She had just called this place home and she could see the look on his face…hopeful and hurt and longing all at the same time.

"I'm sorry. I…I should just go brush my teeth now" and with that she disappeared into the bathroom.

Home, Will thought. Yeah, that's what it had been. And he missed it…missed her so much.

He began collecting the pills she would need to take and attaching the bottle of medication to her nebulizer. Mackenzie returned from the bathroom and sat next to him on the bed, trying to catch her breath. The last few minutes of activity and conversation had already drained her.

"Pills Mackenzie, right now" he said as he handed her the meds.

"Yes sir" she responded as she took the offered pills and bottle of water.

She was about to burst at the seams…he could tell just by looking at her.

"Ok, you win. We'll talk. Or rather, I'll talk. You have to do your breathing treatment. You're already wheezing again."

He held the nebulizer out to her and watched as she begrudgingly closed her lips around the mouthpiece of the offending object and began breathing in the medicated steam it was producing.

"You know, we should bring this thing to the office Mac. Whenever you start to get really riled up about something I can just stick that in your mouth and enjoy the peace and quiet."

Before she could remove the nebulizer from her mouth and start to argue with him he grabbed her hands and placed them in his lap.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it. Keep taking deep breaths." He allowed one of her hands to return to holding the nebulizer to her mouth. He held the other in his own.

Where did you start? How do you renegotiate the boundaries of a relationship that had gone so wrong, but had to be repaired? And that was the realization he had come to while Mackenzie had been so sick. They really didn't have any choice in all this. It was either get past her betrayal and move on with each other or accept that they would never truly be happy. They both knew _this_ was it. Like Charlie had said, he had already found _the one_. He either had to figure out how to make it work or stop pretending that dating a myriad of totally wrong women would somehow drive Mackenzie from his mind.

So now, here they were….the walking wounded. She could barely breathe and he almost couldn't bear the thought of risking his heart again. But for her, he would. Sitting here, next to her in a small double bed he felt like the world was starting to shift. They were starting to shift…back toward each other.

"You scared the hell out of me, you know? Logically, I understand that we don't have all the time in the world to figure this out Mackenzie. You'll find another Wade or go off on some assignment to the Middle East, but maybe the next time you won't come back. Or maybe this lunatic posting death threats on our website isn't really a lunatic. Maybe he'll do it. I just want to know we _tried_, Mac. I need to know that we didn't let my stupid pride and your less than stellar judgment destroy something that could be amazing."

He looked over at her to find tears rolling down her cheeks, which looked absolutely ridiculous as she tried to continue puffing through her breathing treatment.

"Hey, come here. I didn't mean to turn your wheezing into crying" he said as he held his arms open for her. She dropped the nebulizer onto the bed and folded herself into him, practically climbing into his lap.

"I'm so sorry Will…I was so stupid" she said through her tears.

"I know and I'm sorry too for all the crap I've put you through since you've been back. I thought it would make me feel better, but it didn't. It did, however make me realize that you have become a much more patient person than you used to be. It also made me realize how much I trust you now…as my producer and as my friend. I'd like to see if we can trust each other as something more than that."

In response she simply nodded against his chest and held him tighter.

"Hey, look at me Mackenzie." He tilted her head up towards his and placed a kiss on her lips. Before he could pull away she placed her hand on the back of his head and deepened the kiss. This was what he remembered. What he had been missing. The way Mackenzie put her whole being into a kiss. The way the world fell away around them. That was what a kiss was supposed to be. It always was with her.

"There's still a lot we need to work out Mackenzie. I'm not pretending that we just fall back into the same relationship we had four years ago. We have some things we need to figure out first, and we will, I promise. But right now you look like you're about to fall asleep sitting up. Sleep Mac…we'll talk more later" he reassured her. He leaned back against the pillows and let her rest against his chest. It would be easier for her to breathe leaning against him like this, he told himself.

Sure McAvoy…that's the only reason you're staying in this tiny little bed in the guest room when your own luxurious king-sized mattress is just fifty feet away. He never had been very good at lying to himself. For years now, he'd been trying to make himself believe he'd be better off without Mackenzie. As if to prove him wrong, Mac burrowed further into his chest in her sleep.

Yeah, you'd be better off without her…how are you doing at convincing yourself of that one McAvoy?


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes: I'm almost afraid to post this chapter, because I'm posting without my beta reading it first. I don't want to bog her down with too much of my writing and keep her from her own stories. So, hint hint to my beta…I must have the next chapter! You know which of your stories I'm talking about. Also, did anyone else see Jeff Daniel's twitter yesterday? It said "Trying on Will McAvoy's clothes today…#Ohhappyday." I know that doesn't mean we're getting a new episode any time soon, but it warmed my heart just to see it. Still don't own The Newsroom…just totally in love with it. Please enjoy my un-proofread work and hopefully it isn't rife with errors! On with the show.**

The next morning Mackenzie awoke to find herself propped up against Will, who could not possibly be comfortable practically sitting up against the headboard of the bed. She tried to twist around to search for a clock but Will had locked his arms around her waist.

"Go back to sleep Mackenzie…it's still early" he whispered into her ear.

Had it not been for her shortness of breath and the fact that they were sandwiched together in a double bed, she could have sworn she had suddenly woken up in the past. How many mornings had she awoken to his voice telling her to go back to sleep? She leaned back into him and tried to believe that this was going to be part of her future too.

"Are you going to the office this morning?" she asked him, her voice still rough and hoarse from the pneumonia.

"Nope…now go back to sleep."

"Shouldn't you let someone know you won't be in until later?"

"Mackenzie, I have been sleeping sitting up for the better part of four days…either here or in your hospital room. Believe me when I say I am not getting out of this bed at six in the morning to leave a voicemail for someone as to my whereabouts. Besides, I talked to Charlie while you were being discharged. He knows I have no intention of leaving you alone here for fifteen hours a day while you still have trouble just getting to the bathroom and back without wheezing. I'll call in later and I'll be there for the show. Now stop being my producer for a while and just be my Mackenzie, ok?"

_His_ Mackenzie. That sounded pretty damn good to her. She settled back into his arms and he pulled the blanket up over her. His hands had found their way under her t-shirt sometime during the night and were warm against her stomach. She stilled instantly when his fingers began to rub back and forth across the scar from her stabbing and the surgery that followed.

"It scared the hell out me when I heard about it Mac. I didn't know until a week later and by that time you were already in Germany. Part of me was ready to get on a plane the minute I knew where you were. I'm ashamed to admit a bigger part of me just couldn't do it." He dropped his head down onto her shoulder as he said this, as if it had actually hurt him to make that admission. Truth be told, it had hurt her to hear it…just a bit.

"Not for the reasons you think Mackenzie. Not because of my anger, although I sure as hell was still angry with you. But I didn't know how I would be any comfort to you then Mac. Anything said between us at that point would have been at best, awkward and at worst hostile. I didn't think you needed to deal with that."

"You're probably right. I was mostly high on morphine at the time anyway. Who knows what I would have said to you, Will."

He was still running his hands over the scar, almost as if he was trying to visualize it and add it to his memories of what her body looked like.

"Do you want to see it?" she asked him hesitantly.

"I do. But I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do Mac."

She pulled away from him and lifted her shirt. He sat up and looked at the place where his hands had just been. It wasn't horrible, but it could have been better. Her initial surgery had been done in an army trauma unit near the Pakistan/Afghanistan border. Their main goal had been to stop the bleeding and stabilize her for transport. Cosmetic concerns were not high on their list of priorities. As such, she had ended up with a rather raised and uneven scar that stretched across the right side of her torso just under her ribcage. At first it had bothered her, but as time went on she looked at it as part of her and the price of reporting the news.

She was slightly shocked when she felt him lean his head down and brush his lips against that scar.

"Don't do that again please" he whispered.

"Get stabbed? I wasn't really planning on it, Will."

"Don't scare me like that. Stabbings, pneumonia, leaving me. Just don't do any of that again, ok?"

"I'll do my best."

"But that's just it Mackenzie. You are not doing your best!" he shouted as he pulled away from her and sat up in bed. "You are not doing your best. Not at taking care of yourself anyway. The doctor told me you should have known all this already. You had a splenectomy Mac. You have a weakened immune system and you let yourself walk around that office for days with a fever and chest congestion that was so bad you could barely finish a sentence sometimes. I don't know if you're just stubborn or if you were actually trying to get sick!"

"I wasn't trying to get sick Will" she said as she pulled his hands back down into her lap.

"Well apparently you weren't trying too hard to avoid it either. You're not invincible. I know you like to think you are, but you aren't. Maybe you could try to let the rest of the staff ease your burden a little bit. You're the one who's always telling me how well you trained them all to do the news. Well let them do the damn news then Mackenzie!"

"Ok, I get it Will…I get it. This isn't exactly turning into a relaxing morning in bed, is it?" she turned away from him as she began to cough.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you Mac. I'm running on too little sleep and too much coffee over the past few days. I should probably get both of us something to eat and get you your meds."

He started to get up, but Mackenzie pulled him back down onto the bed.

"I swear Will, I didn't do this on purpose. And I will be more careful. You're right, I know that I need to take better care of myself, but the hours we keep and the need to get this show up and running and make it into something we can be proud of…that just got the better of me. I know I scared you and I'm sorry you had to go through that."

He pulled her to him and kissed her forehead.

"The show will never be more important than you Mackenzie. I'm sorry if you felt like that. I'm sure some of my actions when you first came back made you believe that anything less than perfection wasn't an option. But I don't ever want you to think that ratings, or elections or Leona's ability to fire me are more important than you are."

Before she even realized what she was doing, Mackenzie had put her hands on either side of his face and pulled him to her. She was tired of not being this close to him. Tired of pretending they didn't both want each other. She tried to pour all that frustration into kissing him.

"Ok, definitely not going into the office for a while" he whispered against her lips and pulled her down into his lap.

God, how she had missed this. He had always had this way of wrapping himself around her that made her wonder where she began and he ended. His arms had encircled her and pulled her flush against his chest. And that was when the phone rang.

"No, no, no! It's not even 7am for God's sake!" Will shouted in frustration as he unwillingly pulled away from Mackenzie's lips and rested his forehead against hers.

"You better get that before someone sends Lonny up here searching for you."

"What?!" he shouted into the phone. "I'm sure it's fine Jim. I can be in later this afternoon and look at it. Can't it wait? Fine…we'll see you soon."

"We are about to have company I take it?" Mackenzie asked him.

"Yeah, we are. I think Jim's willingness to serve as temporary EP and to do it without me being there most of the time as well is running thin. He wants to talk to me. Actually I think he assumes you're here and wants to run some ideas by both of us. So let's get you your meds and your breathing treatment before he gets here. And no overdoing it Mackenzie. Let the kid get your opinion on a few things and then back to bed ok?"

"Will you be coming with me? Back to bed that is?" she asked coyly. Of course, trying to look cute and sexy while wheezing and coughing was a bit difficult. Mackenzie was starting to realize she needed that breathing treatment fairly soon.

"That may be something that can be arranged. But not in that damn double bed. I think I spent most of the night trying not to fall off the edge of the mattress."

"Sorry about that Billy" she responded. Any further responses were quickly cut off by a series of wracking coughs.

"Yeah, that's my cue to get out of bed and get your medications ready. Stay here, I'll be right back."

A short while later Will returned to the guest bedroom bearing a tray filled with breakfast for the two of them. He sat in the chair in the corner of the room sipping his coffee and watching her eat.

"Finish it Mac. You probably lost a good five pounds you couldn't afford to lose in that hospital."

"I'm not a big breakfast eater Will, you know that. I'm doing my best. Hand me my pills would you?"

He got up and handed her the antibiotics and cough medication and then disappeared down the hallway. He returned a few minutes later with his laptop, some socks and a quilt.

"Feet please, Mackenzie" he commanded.

"Excuse me? Was that a request or an order?" she said, staring him down.

"It was a logical statement from a man who has known you for a decade. You have feet like ice Mac. And you're already sick, so humor me and put the damn socks on and take this quilt out to the couch with you while we wait for Jim to arrive."

She held her feet out to him and he slipped the thick woolen socks over them. She wrapped the quilt around her and followed him out to the living room.

Once seated on the couch, he settled the quilt over her and handed her the nebulizer.

"Don't even try to pretend you don't need to use that thing before Jim gets here. If I know you, you're going to try to spend the next hour or so lecturing him on everything he hasn't done over the past few days. You're not going to be able to do that if you're wheezing."

She tried to give him a dirty look, but it was difficult to look menacing while breathing medicated steam through a tube. She settled for a quirked eyebrow and an intimidating glare.

"Is that any way to show your appreciation for all my care and concern the last few days Mackenzie?" he asked her sarcastically, but clearly enjoying the return of her mischievous nature.

When Jim arrived twenty minutes later Will got up to show him over to the living room.

"You look a lot better than you did a few days ago Mac" Jim told her, sitting in a chair next to the sofa.

"Thank you I think. Did I look that bad?" she asked him as Will joined her on the couch.

"Well, I've seen you dirty and bleeding in the middle of an army hospital so I guess you have looked worse."

"Ok Jim, what do you have that's so urgent it couldn't wait a few more hours?"

They spent the next hour or two developing a loose framework for the next two shows. By the time Jim packed his things together and got ready to leave Mackenzie was already asleep again, curled into the corner of the sofa.

"Mackenzie, get up. Come on, you're going to have a stiff neck if you stay like that much longer" Will whispered to her, trying to nudge her awake.

"What? When did Jim leave?"

"Just a few minutes ago. Now come on and get settled in bed. If you actually intend to get some sleep it's going to be hard to do on this sofa."

She followed him down the hallway and was pleasantly surprised when they appeared to be heading to his bedroom.

He had already piled several pillows up on what used to be her side of the bed.

"Your head and neck still need to be elevated if you have any shot at being able to breathe."

He helped her into bed and pulled the covers over her.

"Get some rest, Mac."

"Where are you going?" she asked as he headed for the door.

"I just have to send a few more emails and then I'll be right back. Believe me, I intend to get a couple more hours of sleep before I head into the office."

She tried to relax into the pillows, but it was an odd sensation. Being back in this room…in this bed after five years. She found herself looking out at the New York skyline and marveling at how little it had changed, but how much her life had. And yet, through all those changes she still ended up back here. _They_ still ended up here. Life was strange.

"Try not to hurt yourself there Mac" he said from the doorway, startling her with his return.

"What?"

"You looked like you were thinking pretty hard about something Mackenzie. I was waiting for smoke to start coming out of your ears." He walked over to the bed and eased himself under the covers.

"You're not funny you know?"

"I'm charming and affable. I have the focus group data to prove it."

"Charming and affable my ass" she mumbled. "Come here."

He leaned over toward her and pressed a kiss to her lips. What was meant to be a short, chaste kiss began to turn into more, but Will pulled away from her.

"I want you more than you know Mackenzie McHale. But you are still sick, and I have to be at work in a few hours. Unless I plan on thanking our audience for washing us again, I need some sleep and so do you."

"I know. I just…I miss you Will. I miss us. You know that right?" God, she felt like she was whining, but she was sick, damn it. She had the right to whine a little right now.

"I know Mac. I miss us too. We're getting there."

He had no idea just how much she was pinning her hopes on that.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Back again with another chapter…a bit shorter this time but I'm cranking out the chapters on this story and Reverse Spooning as fast as I can (and as fast as my beta can help me fix my mistakes…and believe me, there are usually lots of them at first). We're nearing the end of this story finally folks. Hang in there with me a bit longer. Oh, and did anyone see the news about the two new actors/characters added to The Newsroom for next season? Check out if you didn't. On with the story!**

The next several days passed much the same. Will would stay at home with Mackenzie until around 2 in the afternoon. He would be in the office by 3 and would spend the next few hours until airtime helping everyone smooth out the last few wrinkles in stories.

This didn't stop the barrage of phone calls, texts and emails that were sent to both of them throughout the day. Several times Will had walked into his bedroom to find Mackenzie sitting up in bed sound asleep, her laptop perched precariously on a pillow nearby and a pile of paperwork surrounding her. Will tried to keep Mac's Blackberry from her, but even he had to admit defeat on that front. He had never realized just how many things the woman handled on a daily basis. He tried to take care of what he could but he realized how little he knew about the duties of an EP.

At the end of every day he would return to the apartment with a huge pile of paperwork Jim would give him for Mackenzie.

"I thought you were taking care of this while she's sick Jim?" Will asked the next day.

"Hey Will, I did as much of it as I could. This is just what I didn't get to. Oh, and Maggie needs to talk to her about that segment for next week on judicial appointments."

"Now? Maggie needs to talk to her about this now? Can Mackenzie get more than four hours of sleep for a few days without this place crumbling around us?" Will shouted.

Behind him, Maggie quietly tried to back away from the argument she had just walked in on. Unfortunately, she dropped the binders of research she had been holding.

"Sorry. I can just go over these on my own and call Mac later" she said trying to gather the mess around her and back out of the room quietly.

"No Maggie, come in. How much of that does Mac really need to see?" he asked her.

"Um, all of it?" Maggie replied uncertainly.

"I give up. You're both coming with me. You've got two hours tops, and that includes dinner being eaten while all this is going on. Mackenzie falls asleep and you're both out of there, understood?"

They both nodded at him and followed him to the elevators. They all made the short ride to Will's apartment in silence.

Will entered the apartment quietly in case she was asleep.

"Put all of your things on the counter over there and get something to drink. I'll find Mackenzie."

Jim and Maggie looked at each other and then at their surroundings. Not that they hadn't both been there before, but something about being there for a party with a group of people had made the place less intimidating. Waiting for their two bosses to emerge from the bedroom and share a quiet dinner with them was an entirely different scenario.

"Weird, huh?" Jim asked her.

"Beyond weird. Did you know she was staying here?" Maggie replied.

"Yeah, I was here a couple of days ago with some forms she needed to sign, and I saw them together while Mac was still in the hospital. Didn't seem like he was going to let her out of his sight anytime soon. I guess she still needed some help after her discharge from the hospital."

"Help? Is that what we're calling it now?" Maggie teased.

"Hey, it's none of our business. Leave it alone Maggie."

"Leave what alone Jim?" they both heard Mackenzie's gravelly voice behind them and watched as she padded over toward the sofa, Will following her like he expected her to fall at any minute. As she settled into the corner of the lounge Will tucked a blanket around her.

"Nothing, Mac. You look good. Feeling better?" Jim asked her as he took a seat in the same chair he had chosen the other day.

"I am. Now if only Will would let me do something more than fill out some paperwork in bed every night I might have a hope of catching up on what I can only assume is an avalanche of things piling up on my desk right now."

"Mac, what is it that you don't understand about a week off of work? I'm just trying to get you to follow doctor's orders. You were on a ventilator several days ago for Christ's sake, can you try to ease yourself back into work?" Will asked her. He collapsed down onto the sofa next to her and pinched the bridge of his nose with his finger and thumb.

"I'm sorry, you're right" Mackenzie replied grasping his other hand. "I'm trying to rest, I am Will. Let's just have some dinner and get some work done and go to bed, ok?"

"Yeah, that sounds good" he whispered, almost forgetting their company.

"Oh, Jim and Maggie…we have leftover lasagna. Will that work for you guys? Or did you eat that for lunch Mac?" he asked her.

"Nope, it's still in there. I think I slept through lunch. I'm starving now though."

Jim and Maggie looked at each other feeling like they were trapped in some strange time-space continuum. Were these the same two people who nearly came to blows over _everything_ the first few months they all worked together? What the hell?

They all worked through as much of Mackenzie's backlog of paperwork as they could as well as fleshing out some of the details for the story Maggie was trying to put together for next week. By midnight, Mac was quietly snoring away from her position in the corner of the sofa, leaned up against Will's shoulder.

"Uh guys, that's your cue to leave. Sorry, she's pretty much out for the count now. Jim, just leave whatever we didn't get to and I'll bring it in with me tomorrow if Mac gets a chance to look at it" he told them as he led them to the elevator.

Jim and Maggie rode down to the lobby in silence, until Maggie couldn't stand it anymore.  
"They are so totally back together!" she exclaimed.

"That wasn't why we were here Maggie. And I'm sure Will and Mackenzie wouldn't appreciate being the subject of office gossip. Nobody needs to know where we were or who we were with tonight" he responded soberly.

Maggie looked suitably chastised. Jim just stared down at the paperwork in his hands until he too started to smirk.

"Yeah, totally back together" he mumbled and Maggie just smiled.

This situation became routine as Jim or Maggie would supply Will with the paperwork that needed to be dealt with immediately by Mackenzie. As the days passed she was able to do more and more work.

Of course, as Mackenzie got better and spent less and less of each day asleep, Will also found himself having to put her on speaker phone in the conference room as she inserted her opinion into the rundown.

Her constant phone calls began to become almost comical. When Will wouldn't answer his phone she would call Jim, who had now set his phone to play the Jaws theme song whenever she called.

In the middle of a meeting with Charlie, Will was studiously trying to ignore the vibrating of his cell phone, but just as it stopped they heard that distinctive cello music begin to ring from Jim's pocket.

"Hello Mackenzie. What? No, Will isn't ignoring your calls. I think he just left his cell phone in his office, let me get him for you."

Will gave Jim a dirty look and took the phone.

"Yes Mac? No, I'm not ignoring your calls. Yes, I told them you're idea about the new format. Mackenzie, I'm at the office and you're at home. Do you think you could let me actually work for a few minutes before I have to be on the air? I will bring you everything from today's meeting when I come home. Please go back to bed Mac, I'll see you later."

Will looked up to find Charlie and Jim grinning at him. "What?" he asked them.

"When does she come back?" Charlie inquired.

"Tomorrow, although if it were up to her she'd have been here days ago even if she had to be transported by ambulance. She's driving me insane Charlie! I barely get my tie off before she's showing me entire notebooks filled with suggestions for the next show and how we could have improved the last one. Do you know what it's like trying to fall asleep with your producer still reaming you out over the way the last broadcast ended?"

"I would think you already knew what that was like? She didn't do that when you were together before?" Charlie asked him, smiling.

"Yes she did it before. I just forgot what it was like ok? And we're not actually back together…yet."

"She used to do the same thing to me when we were embedded. I found ear plugs were quite useful. Either that or trying to move my cot as far away from her as possible, which is rather difficult in an army tent. But hey, I would think you'd have lots of places to move to in a penthouse" Jim pointed out.

"Hey, since when did my sleeping arrangements become everyone's business? You two should work for TMI" Will groused.

Will spent the next hour finishing his notes and getting dressed for the show. His cell phone was still ringing incessantly as he walked toward the studio, so he just handed it to Sloan.

"Try to distract her with a lecture on microeconomics. That might just give me enough time to actually finish a broadcast without being interrupted" he instructed her.

"Do I have to spend the whole time talking about microeconomics? Cause from what I hear Kenz has spent the last several days recuperating at your palatial abode. You know, the one I have never seen? I can go over there and keep her company if you want Will. She can give me a tour of the place…fill me in on the details of your ever-evolving relationship. You know…girl stuff!" Sloan chattered along as she followed him down the hall.

"Never mind Sloan" Will replied and grabbed the phone from her. He handed it to the next person he saw.

"Maggie…talk to your boss! And whatever you do, do not take that phone into the control room. She'll have you relaying her every command to the staff in about five minutes flat."

Maggie stared at the phone, dumbfounded. "What do I say to her when she wants me to go into the control room?" she asked Sloan.

"You just let me take care of that Maggie. Mackenzie and I understand each other. If she wants to have phone access to the control room, then she needs to fill me in on a few details about what the hell is going on with her and Will" Sloan replied and grabbed Will's cell phone from Maggie's hand.

"Oh man, Will is so going to kill me for that one" Maggie muttered as she headed toward the newsroom.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes: I think just one more chapter to go after this one folks. Thanks for hanging in with me. Thanks to LilacMermaid for beta-ing and thanks to teanc09 for some new ideas that are now swimming around in my head. Don't own The Newsroom. Enjoy the fic!**

Five minutes into the broadcast and Mackenzie had already noticed two mistakes. She was sitting on the sofa tapping her foot impatiently and holding her Blackberry in a death grip. Will had been exhausted and on edge when he left for work earlier that day. She'd tried to get him to go in a little later, to sleep a little longer, but he wouldn't listen. The stress of the last few days was really beginning to show. He'd spent so much time worrying about her every need and trying to convince her to take some more time off to recuperate that he hadn't been taking care of himself. On the screen, she saw Will glancing down at his notes again. She couldn't watch this much longer. She looked longingly down at her phone.

Sloan had hung up on her when she wouldn't discuss her relationship with Will and whoever was currently holding his cell phone knew better than to answer. She was tempted to call Jim or the control room phone, but more than likely Will had told them not to take her calls.

Good Lord, was he slurring his speech now? That was it. She threw one of his coats on over her leggings and sweatshirt and headed downstairs to hail a cab. He was going to kill her, but she had to do something.

Ten minutes and fifty dollars later (it took a bit more than your average taxi fare to get the driver to run a couple of red lights) Mackenzie pushed her way into the control room.

"Give me the headset Jim…what the hell are you letting him get away with?" she questioned.

"Mac, what are you doing here?" Jim asked.

"Saving your ass. I'm surprised Charlie isn't down here already asking what the hell is wrong with Will. So I'm here several hours early. I doubt it will kill me. Now go to commercial so I can talk to him for a second."

She took a few deep breaths. God, it really was lovely to be able to do that again. She pulled her hair back into a rubber band as she waited for the commercial break to begin, and then she quietly began speaking into his earpiece.

"Will, I know you're tired but you need to pull it together here. You're slurring your speech and looking down at your notes too much. Tess is bringing you some coffee. Take a few sips and then take a few deep breaths and we're going to finish this show ok? You can do this."

"Mackenzie, what the hell! One more day Mac. What don't you understand about one more day?!" he roared into his microphone.

"Ok, nice to see you awake and alert. I have to be back here in twelve hours Will…what's the big difference? I doubt I'm any less healthy right now than I will be at 10am tomorrow. Now can we stop arguing about my immune system and finish the god damn show?!"

She watched as he took a few deep breaths and practically glared into the camera that she was viewing him on. He grabbed the coffee cup that Tess set in front of him and took a few gulps.

"Good. Now, your next lead in is the Republican debate in Florida. Straighten your tie and look into camera two please."

"This isn't over Mackenzie."

"I'm sure it's not. Camera two please Will" she responded.

The rest of the show went off smoothly. Though anyone who knew him well could tell Will was ready to bolt from his seat the moment the cameras were off.

"Well, if it isn't Mackenzie McHale! Wait, it still is McHale right? Cause for all I know you two went off and got married in the past week!" Sloan practically seethed as she entered the control room.

"I seem to remember trying like hell to get you two to fix this relationship but you said it was a lost cause. How many hours did I listen to the saga of Will and Mackenzie? And then you go and patch things up and don't tell me. I haven't felt this frustrated and unsatisfied since I watched six seasons of _Lost_ only to find out they were dead all along!" Sloan whispered sharply to Mackenzie, seeming to realize how loud her voice was in the suddenly quiet room.

"Sloan, I'd be happy to have this argument with you another time but most of you are not going to want to be in this room in a minute so please take my advice and…" she was cut off by his yelling before she could finish.

"Mackenzie Elizabeth McHale! What is it about one week sick leave that you don't understand? Surely you, a multiple Peabody award-winning journalist, can follow a concept as simple as that, so explain to me why you are here right now!" he bellowed as he entered the room.

"Great show tonight everyone. And thank you all for picking up a few extra job duties while I have been under the weather. I've really appreciated it and so has Will. Haven't you Will?" she pushed him

"Yes, you've all been great. Now get the hell out." Will replied.

Everyone, even Sloan, took one look at his face and quickly headed for the exit. At the moment, Mackenzie was tempted to follow them. She was never afraid of Will, but she knew that tone of voice. It left no room for argument.

"Will, you were barely five minutes into the show and it was going off the rails. I was just trying to help and I _have_ been off work for a week. I have to be here in a matter of hours. I didn't see how it could hurt" she finished this last part quietly. He was giving her that look, the one that said stop before you dig yourself in any further.

"Get your coat Mackenzie. We're going home."

His voice was quiet and low and dangerous. If you asked any of their young staff members they would probably say that Will's loud, angry outbursts were what they feared. But she knew that was all just for show. He only shouted when he felt he had the better argument. He shouted because he enjoyed intelligent debate. No, this low, even tone was what she dreaded. She grabbed the trench coat she had worn here and followed him out the door. The newsroom was quiet as they made their way toward the elevator, Lonny following them.

The car ride home was oppressively silent. She was tempted to make a joke just to break the tension, but one look at his face told her that would be a really bad idea.

She followed him into the building and through the apartment and watched as he made his way over to the bar and poured himself a scotch.

"Have you taken your medication Mackenzie?" he asked evenly.

"Yes" she responded quietly. "Will…" she began, but he cut her off.

"Are you in?" he asked sharply.

"What?"

"Are you in?" he repeated. "I'm not going to do this Mackenzie if you're just going to jump right back into work and let this happen all over again. I can't watch that Mac. I can't let this happen between you and me again and watch you work yourself into an early grave."

Oh, she understood now. He wasn't angry…he was scared.

"You're all in this time Mackenzie. I don't give a shit if we ever get married or have kids or buy a house in the suburbs, but if we're doing this Mac, it's for better or worse, in sickness and in health and everything else. And that means you give a shit about your own well-being."

He dropped onto the sofa as he finished saying this and took a long swig from his glass.

She carefully made her way over to him and pulled the drink from his hand and sat in his lap.

"I'm sorry. I'm not used to thinking about someone else's feelings. That doesn't mean I don't want this Will. Give me some time to adjust, ok? I'm learning how to take better care of myself and of us" she said running her fingers along his jaw and pulling him to her for a kiss.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him.

"I can't lose you Mac. Not this time" he whispered into her ear.

"I know and you won't Will. I promise." He dropped his head onto her shoulder and shuddered deeply.

"Come on, you're exhausted. Let's get you to bed, ok?" she said, pulling him up to follow her.

She helped him pull his clothes and shoes off and watched as he moved slowly to settle under the covers in bed.

She started to leave the room, but she heard his breath quicken.

"I'm just going to change out of my clothes, I'll be right back" she assured him. His eyes followed her until she finally returned from the bathroom in her nightgown and sank into bed.

He looked exhausted and yet so tense he wasn't likely to fall asleep any time soon.

"Come here" she beckoned and settled herself against her pillows and opened her arms to him. He paused for just a moment before curling up against her side and resting his head on her chest. He wrapped his arm around her waist and held on for dear life.

"I'm not going anywhere Will. I promise you. You're stuck with me ok?" she assured him as she began running her fingers through his hair. Ever so slowly she began to feel the tension leave his body. He took a long, deep breath and she felt him exhale against her.

"I love you Mackenzie" he whispered.

"I know you do. You show me every day, even when I don't deserve it. Now let me take care of you for a while, ok Billy?"

"You deserve it every day Mackenzie, every day."

She wanted to weep with the relief of hearing those words. He really never had stopped loving her and how does she repay him? She scares him half to death. She had to remember she held in her hands the heart of a man who could so easily be broken. He had been through too much hurt and pain and betrayal in his life already. If she wasn't going to break him again, this time it was about making sure she was there for him for the rest of their lives.

He was no longer afraid of her betrayal. He was afraid of how easily she could be taken from him. By a religious protest that got out of hand or by some microscopic virus.

"Sleep Will. You're exhausted."

She felt him relax and settle his ear just over her heart. "I love you too Will, so much."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Well folks, we finally come to the end of this little story. Thanks for hanging in with me and for the lovely reviews that keep me writing, even when I feel like I have nothing else to say. Thanks to LilacMermaid for beta-ing. I swear I am working on finishing Reverse Spooning too…I've just hit a little bump in the road called writer's block. Still don't own The Newsroom. Enjoy!**

_Two months later_

Mackenzie could hear Will's deep, even breathing behind her as she looked out at the sun rising over New York City. She wasn't sure she would ever get used to this again…she sure as hell would never take it for granted. This life they had now was so fragile and new that at times it still startled her. Waking up here, in this apartment with him, in this life with him would never cease to amaze her.

She sat up slowly and leaned against the headboard and looked down at him. It had taken quite a bit of time for him to stop watching her…stop hovering over her every movement. He had still been so nervous her first few days back at the office that even Maggie ran out of patience with him at one point. Telling him in no uncertain terms to get the hell out of the ladies room because he really didn't need to follow Mackenzie _everywhere_.

Mac chuckled a little remembering that one. She reached down and smoothed his hair back from his forehead. They had tried to go back to their separate lives for a while… to begin their new relationship with a few dates here and there, but let's face it, neither of them were terribly patient people. Add to that Will's near constant anxiety over her health and before you knew it she was living here once again.

Truth be told, she liked it here. There were times she was tempted to stay in this apartment for days, safe in the little cocoon they had built for themselves. Where Will wouldn't have to worry about her getting sick and she wouldn't have to worry about him re-thinking his decision to give them…to give _her_ another chance. She shook those thoughts from her mind and resolved not to let herself stray into darker territory.

She stretched her arms over her head and quietly cleared her throat, coughing a bit due to the dry winter air.

"Do you have a fever?" he asked her scrambling to a seated position in bed.

"Jesus Will, I thought you were still asleep!" she sputtered.

"Well, I'm not. When did you start coughing?" he reached over to feel her forehead.

"I'm fine. The heat has been running all night and my throat is dry" she assured him. "Will, stop feeling my forehead. I do not have a fever and I am not sick."

"We can go in late this morning" he started speaking as if he had not even heard her last statement. "I'm going to get you some juice and the thermometer."

He began to get out of bed, but she grabbed his hand and pulled him back down.

"You have got to stop this Will. I'm fine. I promised you I would take better care of myself and I have been, but this is ridiculous. You're ready to take me to the emergency room every time I so much as sneeze."

"I'm sorry…you're right" he said quietly. "Are you sure you're feeling alright Mac?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm going to grab the newspaper and start the coffee…be right back."

She could still feel his eyes on her as she left the room. The man really needed to get a handle on his anxiety before he had a stroke or drove her insane, whichever came first. She hoped what she had planned would help a little in easing some of those new worry lines from his forehead.

She found her briefcase out on the kitchen counter and dug around inside it until she found what she was looking for. She placed the items inside the rolled up newspaper and took it and two cups of coffee into the bedroom.

"More than coffee please Mackenzie" he told her as he took the two steaming mugs from her hands so she could climb back under the covers.

"I know Will. Can I have just a little caffeine in my system before I try to come up with a breakfast that I will be able to stomach and that will satisfy your need to have me gain ten pounds?" she asked him. She knew the doctor had told Will she needed to be better about regular meals and gain some weight, but did he have to remind her every damn morning? She never had been a breakfast person. Eating a piece of toast was a feast to her, and Will wanted her to eat a damn seven course meal before she went to work.

She pushed the newspaper toward him, as nonchalantly as she could.

"Thanks" he mumbled.

She continued to watch him out of the corner of her eye.

"What Mac?" he asked.

"Nothing. Maybe you should read the travel section" she pushed.

"Why? So I can read about all the places we'll never go because we can't leave the office for more than a day without your Blackberry nearly exploding with the amount of new emails it receives?" he replied sarcastically.

"Like you're any better about leaving work. I believe the last vacation you took was two years ago and that was only because Charlie forced you to disappear while the whole 'America isn't the greatest country in the world anymore' thing died down" she joked, nudging him in the ribs playfully.

She watched nervously as he set down the front section of the paper and reached for the rest of it. The tickets she had placed there slid out into his lap.

"What's this Mackenzie?" he asked her, his eyebrows rising dangerously close to his hairline.

"What does it look like?" she asked innocently.

"It looks like plane tickets to Miami. Actually it looks like plane tickets for only the return trip to New York. Care to explain?"

"I found out Charlie has to send AWM's corporate jet down to Miami to pick up one of the Chief Operating Officers. No reason why we can't hitch a ride down there. Then, at least one way, we won't have to worry about standing in the security checkpoint while half the airport recognizes you. And the flight back is a red eye, so the airport won't be nearly as crowded." She hoped her reasoning convinced him. It was unpleasant for the average traveler to deal with overcrowded airports. Add to that being a recognizable face, and it could be downright unbearable.

"You already booked return tickets and a hotel room?" he asked her, a little surprised.

"Hope springs eternal" she replied.

"Do I get to see you in a bikini?"

"No. Sorry Will, those days are gone. I am not ending up in TMI wearing a bikini that exposes a giant splenectomy scar. I really don't need the side by side photo comparison they will paste on the front page of your last vacation companion and me" she said sadly.

"Hey, I love every inch of you, including that scar. I don't care what you wear…I'll still get to see all of you back in the hotel room" he assured her, setting their coffee cups aside and pulling her against him.

"So, we're going then?" she asked as he nuzzled his lips against her ear.

"I don't know how you managed to get us both three days off, but if you did, then yes we are going."

"I think I may have inadvertently promised someone our firstborn son, but I made it happen" she told him.

"Firstborn son? Is there something I should know about Mackenzie?"

"No, just a figure of speech. But I did have to do a lot of schedule rearranging. Suffice it to say you will be broadcasting on New Year's Eve this year. Sorry."

"I'll survive. When do we leave?" he asked her.

"Tonight" she whispered.

"Tonight?! Who's filling in?" he nearly shouted into her ear.

"Elliot. And Don will be supervising Jim as EP. He needs the practice anyway. If you are going to continue enforcing these damn work hour limitations and food break requirements, then I sure as hell better know that Jim has some clue what to do when I'm not there" she told him, exasperated at times by his overprotective nature.

"I know you've never liked following the rules Mac, but we had this conversation already. When it comes to your health, I'm not taking any chances. Now, what do you want for breakfast?"

"Can't I convince you to forget about breakfast and stay in bed with me?" she suggested playfully, pulling his arms more tightly around her.

"Nope. You barely ate dinner last night. Now what will it be?"

"Egg white omelet if you insist."

"Coming right up. And yes I do insist."

Several hours later they made their way to Teterboro Airport to board the AWM plane, accompanied, of course by Lonny. She really hoped the man considered their hotel room a secure location in which Will would not need a bodyguard, otherwise this vacation was not going to be nearly as enjoyable as she had hoped.

They had spent a couple of hours in the office earlier settling everything for the upcoming shows before they left. Sloan gave them a wink and a raised eyebrow as they left the building encouraging them to "screw each other senseless and make up for the last few years." She and Will ducked their heads and left the building as quickly as possible after that.

Lonny had seated himself near the front of the plane leaving the two of them seated quietly in the back. She never even remembered falling asleep, but awoke to the jarring sensation of the plane hitting the tarmac and lifted her head from Will's lap.

"Sorry. I didn't realize I was so tired. I'm shaping up to be a thrilling travel companion already aren't I?" she asked as he helped her sit up and rearrange her rumpled shirt. She hated to admit it, but she did tire more easily than she used to. At some point, she was going to have to come to terms with the fact that her body just wasn't going to let her get away with trying to keep up with her twenty-something newsroom staff.

"I'm always thrilled with your company and I'm glad you got some sleep" he told her, helping her out of her seat as the plane came to a stop near the hanger.

It was jarring to have left New York on an overcast, forty degree day and arrive to the humid night air of Miami. They made their way to the private car waiting for them nearby and settled in for the short ride to their hotel.

She could tell a few staff members of the Ritz Carlton were momentarily startled when they recognized Will. She had reserved the room under her name, and it only now dawned on her that they wouldn't be prepared for the ACN anchorman to be checking in as well. They hid their surprise well.

As they settled into their room, Will came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her as they stood at the balcony doors. They listened to the waves crashing on the shore nearby.

"We've needed this for a while. Thank you for surprising me" he whispered in her ear.

"You're welcome. Thank you for taking care of me while I was sick and for not giving up on us when you had every reason to."

"I had many more reason _not_ to give up Mac. You know that" he said, pulling her tighter against him.

They spent their three days quietly walking the beach and eating dinner at small, quiet restaurants, hoping for privacy but not always getting it. Unfortunately, Will couldn't exactly disappear into a crowd. The man was six foot three and currently being followed by a rather large bodyguard. They quickly found it was easier to stick to the hotel rather than wander South Beach looking for a place to eat. It didn't dampen their spirits though, it was hardly a tragedy to eat room service at a five star hotel and spend most of their time in bed.

All too soon, Mackenzie found herself packing up their things and preparing to head back home.

"Hey, why so glum?" he asked, coming up behind her as she filled the suitcase lying on the bed.

"I'm not ready to go back" she told him quietly.

"What? Mackenzie McHale is not ready to go back to work? Are you sick again?" he asked, playfully feeling her forehead.

"No, I'm not sick" she replied, batting his hand away. "I liked it here, just the two of us."

"Just the two of us and Lonny" he replied jokingly.

"He's good at his job. You tend to forget he's there after a while" she told him.

"I don't. You'll have to teach me how to block out the presence of a six foot four former defensive tackle."

She spun around and grabbed him by his belt and pulled him to her for a kiss.

"Ok, that's a great way to forget about Lonny" he told her. "Why are you really so eager to stay here Mac? I thought you'd be chomping at the bit to get back to the studio."

"I told you. I like it when it's just the two of us."

"I do too, but you're not telling me everything Mackenzie."

"I don't want to go back and hear what some gossiping secretary has to say about us or see some tabloid story about how you gave up a bevy of blonde cheerleaders for the cheating ex-girlfriend" she pouted, plopping herself down on the bed.

"Mackenzie, really? We can't be back to this can we?" he asked her, shocked that she could even question who he wanted to be with.

"Would I give a flying fuck about what you ate for breakfast if I didn't love you? Would I stay up at night listening to you breathe and trying to decide if your chest sounds congested if I didn't love you?"

"You listen to me breathe at night?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do Mackenzie. Because I adore you and there is nothing more important in this world to me than you…than us. So how you can even think there is any doubt in my mind about who I want to be with is beyond me. We had this discussion already, remember?" he asked her, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"I remember. I'm all in…I promise."

"Me too Mackenzie. I'm all in for the rest of my life" he swore.

"For better or worse?" she asked, uncertainly.

"In sickness and in health. But I'd prefer you stay healthy from now on, ok?"

"Ok. I love you Will."

"I know that and I love you too, you neurotic workaholic. Now finish packing, we have a plane to catch."

As they made their way back to New York, Mackenzie couldn't help but clasp Will's hand in hers and watch his face as he slept. These past few weeks, as they had settled into their new relationship together she had scolded him repeatedly for watching over her like a hawk, but she had been doing the same thing in her own way.

Watching for signs that he was unsure about giving this another chance…giving her another chance. Waiting for the inevitable other shoe to drop. The comment from a co-worker or a tabloid that would make him re-think a life with her. But he never wavered. Not even once.

Just as they were about to land, she leaned over and kissed him awake.

"I like being told to prepare for landing that way. You know, the flight attendants never do that" he told her.

"I would hope not."

They followed Lonny out to their car and wearily dropped into the back seat.

The ride back to their home, and she still had difficulty calling it _their_ home, was pleasantly short due to the light traffic at this hour.

It was good to be back, despite her misgivings. She loved this life they had…filled with crazy friends and colleagues and ungodly work hours. He would always hover over her just a bit, and part of her loved him for it. And she would always wonder how she had gotten so lucky as to capture his heart not once, but twice.

As she settled into bed and curled up into a ball against his side, she remembered the countless times she had done this in the past and hoped there were many more years in the future that would find the two of them cocooned together like this.

She knew now, perhaps in a way she had never understood before, that Will loved her and she loved him….and it wasn't something to be afraid of. It didn't make her feel weaker or less self-sufficient. It didn't make her want to run back to her old apartment in SoHo and pretend she didn't need him.

No, this time she understood that falling in love with someone was wonderful and terrifying and left you vulnerable in a way that, previously, she had not been willing to accept. This time she would revel in the joys and the sorrows, the triumphs and the failures. They were both all in this time….from this day forward for as long as they both shall live.

**The End.**


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